


i missed you, dad

by sunlitsteve



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Eleven | Jane Hopper Needs A Hug, Jim "Chief" Hopper Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:00:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28722504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunlitsteve/pseuds/sunlitsteve
Summary: joyce helps hopper reunite with el
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper & Jim "Chief" Hopper, Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Steve Harrington & Jim "Chief" Hopper
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	i missed you, dad

joyce is holding hoppers hand on the plane as they land, safe and sound back on US soil. hopper looks exhausted but he couldn’t be more grateful to have joyce there with him as he transitions back into his ‘normal’ life. 

“are you ready to see el?” joyce asks softly, as they’re waiting to get off the plane. 

“more than anything. you both kept me going whilst i was there. i didn’t think i’d get out.”

“she‘s looking forward to it.” she smiles, still not letting go of hoppers hand. she doesn’t think she’ll ever let go. 

they descend the plane and make their way into the indiana airport where murray is waiting with the car to take them back to hawkins. hopper doesn’t say much as he goes through security, and grabs joyce’s bag. he smiles stiffly at murray and gets in the backseat so he can relax. the three of them drive in a comfortable, but uncomfortable silence. 

“who.. who’s looking after el?” hop asks after a while. 

“she’s been staying with steve, his parents are never home and the kids have moved their d&d nights over there since robin wants to play.” the information after the name ‘steve’ just didn’t enter hoppers head, he just nodded and closed his eyes. 

joyce looked at murray fleetingly, both of them having the same look of concern on their brow. 

they pull up outside of steve’s house and before murray can turn the ignition off, el is flying out of the house towards the car.

all traces of hoppers exhaustion seem to melt away as soon as he sees his daughters face and he tumbles out of the car and wraps her up in his arms, lifting her in the air as if she weighed little to nothing. his hands in her hair and around her waist, squeezing her so tightly he never wants to let her go. he inhales the scent of joyce’s washing power mixed with some of steve’s shampoo and breaks down crying. 

“i missed you, kid.”

“i missed you, dad.” el says, calling him dad for the first time seemed to make hoppers legs buckle as he collapsed in a heap with el on top of him, all of the kids watching from the porch and crying, emotions running high before steve ushers them back into the house. 

after they have their moment, hopper calls steve out, asking him to come see him, el gripping onto his hand. 

“i’m glad you’re home, captain.” steve says awkwardly. 

“thank you for looking after my girl.” hoppers voice breaks. “there’s no one else i would’ve wanted her to stay with, and i’m glad she had you, son.” 

hopper pulls steve into a hug and steve freezes, never being used to having physical contact from a father figure before, before he melts into the hug and cries his own silent tears, although, if you asked steve, he would just say he had allergies.


End file.
